Photos: D-Day Anniversary Marked at Statue of Liberty

Rose petals are dropped from helicopters Friday during a ceremony remembering D-Day on Liberty Island in New York

Keith Bedford for The Wall Street Journal

The 70th anniversary of D-Day was marked at the Statue of Liberty with an event that included the release of rose petals from helicopters flying overhead.

The New York tribute was organized by the group “The French Will Never Forget” as a way to express gratitude for America’s assistance during the war and to pay tribute to the soldiers who “made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of France,” according to the group’s website.

For decades, D-Day commemorations have served as a potent reminder of the shared sacrifice of American, Canadian, British and other Western forces to free Europe from the clutches of totalitarianism. Not only was the battle pivotal in defeating Adolf Hitler, it turned the page on centuries of European bloodshed, leading the way to a new order.

With every year that passes, fewer and fewer veterans can muster strength to report to the commemorations. When Gen. Raaen traveled to Normandy a decade ago, he was accompanied by about 25 veterans and four historians. On his current visit, he says, it is the other way around: only a few veterans were able to come, along with a couple dozen historians

Reuters

Rose petals dropped by helicopters fall around the Statue of Liberty in New York Friday.

European Pressphoto Agency

A honor guard walk along the the base of the Statue of Liberty during an event marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

European Pressphoto Agency

A band and a Honor Guard gather at the base of the Statue of Liberty during the event.

European Pressphoto Agency

French war veterans Jean Stefkovic, left, and Pierre Martinez talk during the event.

Keith Bedford forThe Wall Street Journal

French sailors from the frigate La Fayette are pictured during the event.